Nova Private Academy
by Agent Dragicorn
Summary: [NozoEli] Side KotoUmi and NicoMaki, loads of brotps and may include other ships. Superpower!AU. Nozomi, Maki and Nico didn't know where they would be sent after all that they've done. They did know that their lives would be undergoing a huge change. Whether that change was good or not was the real question.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

**Sooooo I wrote a new fic. Superpower!AU here, hope you guys enjoy it!**

**News regarding The Transfer Student: So basically I kept thinking about how I could continue the story and end it and I realised that there was no realistic path somehow. It was completely my fault for not thinking ahead and planning for the future of the story so that's how I ended up with a huge writer's block. Therefore, The Transfer Student will now be on hiatus till I can magically think of how to continue with the story and all. If anyone has ideas, please PM me here or drop a message on my Tumblr!**

**Also, I've learnt from my mistake and I've planned this one out ^^ So sorry about what happened to The Transfer Student -grovels in apology-**

**Lastly, this is completely unbetaed and it's really super long. I really didn't expect this massive chapter length so I cut it shorter. As such, if you see mistakes and weird phrasings and all, I'm so sorry T_T (I wrote this fic in short spurts and mainly late at night so it may be crap)**

* * *

They hid in the shadows, spread out and surrounding their latest prey. He was a middle aged man, drunk and pathetic, probably drinking his life away to forget about his mid life crisis. They didn't care about his back story. All that mattered was that he wasn't someone that would be able to expose them. No one would believe a drunkard anyway and that's what made these so easy for them. They waited, checking that their surroundings were clear.

_"Nicochi, are we clear?"_

_"Sheesh, this thing is creepy. It's been a decade and I still haven't gotten used to this."_

_"Just answer Nozomi, seriously. We don't have all night."_

_"Technically we do, princess. Why, is someone scared?"_

_"N-no! It's just that we may get caught! I'm not going to get in trouble because you were being such a diva!"_

Nozomi sighed. There was never once whereby she had opened her group telepathy and they hadn't bickered.

_"Kids, please. Let's start? Is it clear, Nico?"_

_"Yeah yeah. Nearest person is almost 300m away."_

_"Alright, let's roll."_

Nico was the one to start, naturally. After all, she did have super speed. She sped past him at the perfect speed such that all he saw was a blur of black hair past him.

"Wh-what..."

He was obviously spooked. Nozomi smirked. _This is going to be so easy. _She decided to bring up the game and transmitted thoughts to him.

_"Why are you here... Return my child..."_

"Wh-what are you talking about! I don't have anything!"

Bewildered, the man started frantically turning in circles, trying to spot where the voice in his head had come from. In his drunken state, however, his senses and movements were not up to par and he stumbled. Nico chose this moment to appear before him with her hair let down. Upon seeing her, he screamed.

"D-don't! I don't h-have anything! I didn't do anything!"

Oh, it was so hard not to laugh. Being the self-proclaimed top actress she was, Nico managed to stay in character and simply trudged forward eerily. With her red eyes and black hair, it was not difficult to mistake her for a ghost. She brought her hand up as if summoning something and Maki took that as her cue. She took out her lighter and sent balls of fire near Nico, keeping them near her and making it seem as though she had summoned them.

_"Return my child or may the Flames of Hell consume you!"_

The man screamed and passed out on the floor. At that, the fire extinguished and Nico tied up her hair, not before snapping a picture of him.

"Man, that ended way too early. Things were just getting fun too," their lead actress complained as she swept her fringe aside.

"I agree. That was boring," Maki twirled her hair, a usual telltale sign when she was bored.

"Now, now. Let's not get into more trouble than this," Nozomi chided, trying to reign the other two in.

She wasn't sure when they would move from simple pranks like these to bigger ones. They were definitely capable of bigger things but it was never good to draw attention to people like them. People that had super powers. If they drew the attention of the Protectors, the fragile semblance of normalcy in their lives would be ruined.

How they knew about the Protectors was easy. Everyone with super powers knows about them, either through their parents or direct contact with one. When someone's powers are activated, they know immediately and seek them out when the time is right. Protectors inform them of the rules of the separate reality whereby people like Nozomi exist. Never let anyone else know about your powers. Never abuse your powers. Two simple rules to live by, if not they would make their next visit and off they go, to some unknown place. That's all the information they were privy to. How the protectors even knew about them was a mystery. After all, the first time Nozomi activated her powers, she was four. When the protectors visited her at the age of six, all she had done was complain to her parents about the many voices in her head, warn them about certain things she just happened to know about the future and move things without contact. There was no one privy to the weird occurrences apart from her parents, who were both spooked.

_Perhaps that's why they appeared. Maybe they knew that my parents couldn't take any more._

"Nozomi? You've been staring into space for a while. Are you okay?" Maki asked with concern in her voice, bringing Nozomi out from her thoughts.

"Sorry, I was just thinking. Anyway, we should be getting back before someone comes."

"You do know that if someone does come within my radar, I'd warn you all..."

"Yes, yes. But it's late so let's call it a day."

The other two heeded Nozomi's words. After all, she was like their mother and the voice of reason in the group. Nozomi closed her eyes and focused on the image of Maki's and her house. When she opened them, they were in the front porch.

"Same place, same time tomorrow?" Maki inquired.

"Sure. See you both tomorrow," Nico bade them farewell, probably rushing off to show the picture to her family.

Where Nozomi was abandoned by her parents because they couldn't handle having a child with super powers, Nico's family was the opposite. When they first found out about her powers when Nico was 9, they were amazed and ecstatic. Thinking that she would be famous and helping out with crime in the country, they thought it would be the solution to their precarious financial situation. However, the Protectors paid them a visit and burst their bubble. They had to remain silent about it and Nico couldn't do anything drastic with her powers, unless they were willing to let the Protectors take her away to a place meant for those with super powers. Naturally, they had refused, unwilling to part from their daughter. However, the damage was done on Nico's younger siblings as they fully believed that their older sister was a hero and would save not only their family but everyone else. Hence, she started going around earning money and playing pranks, taking the evidence from them and making it seem as though she was busting a criminal.

"She's probably going to show her younger sisters the passed out man, huh..." Maki guessed.

"I guess so. Sometimes I think she leads a much harder life than the both of us," Nozomi smiled sombrely.

It pained both of them to see Nico have to go to such lengths just to keep her siblings happy. It hurt even more when they knew that they could not do much to help them. Even though Maki's family was extremely rich, she did not actually have much of it for her own personal use. Whatever she could help Nico with, she would. However, it wasn't enough for a long term solution. The best she could do was alleviate some of their financial burden.

Maki was more of an ornament and heir in her family than a child of the Nishikino family. Her parents only viewed her as the heir to the family hospital and did not care about their daughter having special abilities at all. "As long as you take over the hospital and keep our family name thriving." That was the only phrase she knew from her parents. They had taken Nozomi in since Maki had pleaded for them to and also because Nozomi was known to be an intelligent child that could be of help to their daughter academically. Nozomi and Maki lived in the same neighbourhood and were childhood friends so it was a relief to both of them that Maki's parents had allowed such a thing. Nozomi had tried her best to take on the role of a family member for Maki, but rather than being a parent, she was more like an elder sister. What Maki really craved and needed was parental love and she sought that out by hoping to draw their attention to her. That was how they had started doing pranks and invited Nico along. Maki would intentionally leave traces for her parents to know that she had been out causing some trouble and after reading the papers the next day about a strange incident occurring, they would put the two together and know that it was her who committed those acts. However, all they would do is send more nannies or people to watch over her, tightening the security on her rather than actually disciplining her themselves.

"So, are you going to leave the traces?" Nozomi asked.

"I don't know. It never works. I don't think such a minor thing would actually draw their attention, so forget it."

The pair headed back into their respective rooms to get a good night's rest. Tomorrow, they would discuss the plans of possibly venturing out into bigger things.

Nozomi lay in bed, mindlessly moving the glow in the dark stars around her room. She wondered when their clockwork-like lifestyle would change. Each day, they woke up, went to school together, discussed their next prank, went out at night to do them and returned back to sleep. It was mundane and nothing seemed to change, as though they were repeating their days. The date never changed. Of course, it would be easy to look into the future and see what was in store for them, but she was wiser than that. She knew that there were times when knowing too much would ruin everything and this was one of those times. She stuck the stars on the ceiling once more without moving from her position on bed and went to sleep.

Something told her tomorrow would be a big day and Nozomi's predictions were hardly ever wrong. Perhaps the date would be different.

* * *

"Nishikino! Please bring your head down from the clouds and answer this question on the blackboard," Maki's substitute Math teacher ordered.

A murmur spread throughout the class. The teacher must be new. Everyone, including the teachers, knew not to pick on Nishikino Maki. It wasn't just that she was quite a rebel and did whatever she wanted. She also had the means to do whatever she wanted. Due to her being the top of her level, her teachers could never complain about her behaviour. If she ever did something drastic that required parental attention, such as getting into a fight, only her butler would come and nothing much would happen to her. In other words, no one could control Nishikino Maki so it was better to leave her alone.

Maki sauntered up to the board, wiping the smug smile on the substitute teacher's face off when she answered the question not just perfectly but also in a more advanced method than what they were currently being taught.

"All good, Sensei?" She drawled, twirling the piece of chalk with a bored expression on her face.

"...Great job," he reluctantly admitted. "Return to your seat and pay attention in class."

She went back and promptly started daydreaming once more.

* * *

"Got into trouble again, Nicochi?"

"I'm not the only one. Maki got sent to detention too!" Nico protested.

Nozomi was waiting outside the detention room for her two other friends. Both of them had a flair for getting into trouble, although Maki hardly got sent to detention because of her predicament.

_New teacher, I suppose,_ Nozomi guessed the reason as to why Maki was there today.

Nico, on the other hand, had a temper and attitude that she couldn't control. She often got into fights not just with the students but also with the teachers. Since her grades weren't incredible like the other two, she was often an easy target for disciplinary actions. She did know when to stop so that her parents would not be bothered and teachers often used that card against her.

"I swear, I'm going to prank them more soon," Nico grumbled.

"Now, now. We wouldn't want more teachers quitting from the school because of us again."

"Don't you mean because of the two of us? Seriously, Nozomi, I don't understand how you can remain so friendly and nice to everyone," Maki inquired.

While Nico and Maki were always getting into trouble in school, Nozomi was a model student. Not only was she at the top of her grade, she was also pleasant and friendly to everyone. She had never gotten into trouble and was often asked to join the Disciplinary Committee. She was someone that everyone in school looked up to but apart from Maki and Nico, she did not have any friends, simply because she could not trust them. As compared to the other two that acted out because of the lack of trust in everyone else, she was smarter and knew not to draw attention to herself, hence the cordial acts. Everyone often wondered why Nozomi stuck around the other two when they were so different and they were dubbed as The Trio. They were, after all, the ones that stood out the most, much to their chagrin.

They turned the corner to a more deserted area and Nozomi teleported them to their usual hangout. It was just a treehouse that was built on one of the taller trees in the park and was definitely impossible to climb for any normal human. That was what made them have their privacy for almost ten years.

"So, did your parents do anything?" Nico directed the question at Maki.

She sighed. "No, whatever I do, it doesn't work. They just don't care. Seriously, what do I have to do in order for them to just notice me? Rob a bank?"

"That's actually a brilliant idea. We should do it."

Both Nozomi and Maki turned to look at Nico. They knew she wasn't serious, but the fact that she had even mentioned something like that meant something was up.

"Nicochi, did something happen?" Nozomi asked in concern that both Maki and her shared.

Nico panicked at being found out so easily. She thought she could hide better than that.

"N-Nico Nico Ni! With such a bright smile on my face, nothing could be wrong! Nico Nico Ni!"

Nozomi and Maki simply continued staring at her, unimpressed expressions on their face.

_Seriously, I can't believe she still thinks that would work on us._

Nico looked away from her two friends with a conflicted expression on her face. She knew that if she told them what was really going on, they would definitely go all out to help her but she couldn't always rely on them. She knew it was stupid to think of something like pride when the situation was so dire but she couldn't help it. Who was she without her pride?

"We won't do anything to help that you're not comfortable with. I promise. And no, I didn't use my powers to read your mind," Nozomi answered in advance, knowing her friend too well.

Nico gave Nozomi a grateful look for knowing what she was thinking of, although she wasn't sure about her not using her powers. Nozomi was so perceptive that at times it seemed as though her ability to read minds wasn't really a super power but just her natural ability.

"My brother. He fell sick and the treatment requires a lot of money and for him to stay in the hospital. We can't afford it," she reluctantly admitted.

She knew that since Maki's family owned a hospital, she would definitely try to get her parents to help her out. However, Nico knew that the chances of that happening was unlikely. While Maki's parents usually didn't care much about their daughter's request and would usually just comply to them, when it came to the hospital, everything was different. She knew that Maki's parents would never allow a patient that had to pay that much have a full treatment for free. There was just too much of a loss. When it came to the hospital, Maki's parents only knew business. Sure, they cared for their patients but allowing Nico's brother to not pay for his treatment would mean the loss of a great amount of money. The treatment that was to be administered to him was a new and rarer type of treatment so it was only natural that it was expensive. To give it out for free would be too much to ask for.

"I could try asking my parents. It may work..." Maki tried but even she was unconvinced.

The trio fell into a troubled silence. They were all aware that Maki's offhanded suggestion or something else along those lines was quite possibly the only solution to their problem.

"What if we did something like Robin Hood?" Nozomi suggested.

The other two looked at her quizzically, not catching her drift.

"You mean stealing from someone rich?" Maki asked sceptically.

"Not just someone rich but someone suspicious too," Nozomi answered and held up her phone.

An article of their resident billionaire, Aoyama Koukai, was on her phone. It talked about his latest exhibition of jewels and how he was talking about the prices having gone down, so he bought many and had an exhibition. He was also planning on tiling his rooms with the jewels. However, it was also mentioned that there was no sign of him striking it rich and even for him, such a huge amount of jewels and him living completely comfortable as before should not be possible. Nozomi showed them more articles of many being suspicious of how he actually got the money as even his mega company should not have made that much money.

"Since he's probably earning all the money through underhanded means, it won't be too bad if we just took away a small amount, right? We just need a few of those thousands of jewels that he has," Nozomi reasoned.

"But still, it's stealing. It's completely different from what we've done before. We can't let anyone know about this at all. The Protectors could come," Nico voiced out.

It was true. Doing this meant taking their nightly activities to a whole new level. They knew that there was a lot at risk here.

"Nico, your brother needs this. If there's something we can do to help, we should. Besides, we've always carried out our pranks perfectly. This should be fine too. We just need to plan more carefully," Maki convinced Nico.

Nico stared at her two only friends' determined expressions. She couldn't help but feel so grateful to them now. They were putting everything on the line to help her out and nothing could make her feel more thankful to have them in her life.

"Thanks so much, you two."

* * *

"Everyone's clear of the plan, right?" Nozomi checked with the others one more.

They nodded in affirmation. The trio waited outside Aoyama Koukai's house for him to exit. It was a known fact that he would go out every Saturday night and even with people trying to track where he was going, they never knew. All that mattered to the trio was that he stayed out long, though. After a few minutes, their target finally moved out of the house and got into his white limousine which drove away speedily. Nico took that as her cue and scouted the area with her hearing.

"There's no one around that side of the house. We can infiltrate there."

"Got it. Nicochi, give me a visual."

Nico zoomed in on the spot where it was safe to carry out their mission with her sight and Nozomi read her mind. It was something they had discovered a year ago and it had served tremendously well for Nozomi's teleporting. More often than not, she couldn't get a clear mental image of the places where they wanted to go to unless they had been there recently or often. With Nico's enhanced sight and Nozomi reading her mind while she was seeing the location, Nozomi could get a clear vision of their destination. However, there were still some flaws to it as sometimes Nico would get distracted and focus on a part of the area. Like now.

They landed in the tree near the window of Aoyama's house and tumbled down.

"Geez, even with a clear destination, you can't teleport us properly..." Nico grumbled.

"Hey, it was your fault for getting distracted as usual," Maki countered, already knowing the real reason why they had landed in a strange place once more.

_"Keep it down, guys. There are others at the other side, right?"_

_"Yeah. We have to act fast,"_ Nico confirmed.

Maki decided to get to work and took her lighter out. She created a small but sooty flame that produced a lot of smoke. The plan was for them to flood the room they were going to infiltrate with smoke so as to cover any cameras that might be there. Nico jumped and caught sight of the lock on the window and with Nozomi reading her mind, she unlocked the window with her telekinesis. After that, Nico easily opened the window and Maki directed the fire near the window for the smoke to fill the room. Within a few minutes, the room looked smoky enough and Nico jumped in.

_"All clear."_

_"Alright, I'm coming. Maki, stay here and watch out, okay?"_

_"Sure. Stay safe you two. Be careful."_

Nozomi teleported to Nico and read her mind while she used her sight to see through the smoke. After a while of looking around, she located some jewels.

_"Nicochi, I think you should get some too. We don't know if there are more sensors so just speed to it, grab them while I bring some over to me too and I'll teleport us back to Maki."_

Nico agreed and did as Nozomi suggested. She easily swiped a couple of jewels and put them in her pockets as Nozomi lifted a few others that Nico saw and kept them too. Just as she did though, they heard Maki cry out in pain from outside.

"Maki!" Nico shouted as she moved to the window.

Nozomi teleported them both down to Maki, only to see her on the ground, clutching the back of her head in pain. Nico rushed to her side while Nozomi eyed their surroundings. They were surrounded by people in black suits and Aoyama was walking to them in his pristine white suit.

_How cliché._

She seriously wondered if they were filming a movie now because this was too cliché, for a lack of better word.

"So, what are you three doing outside my house?"

They remained silent. None of them knew what to do now and all they could do now was to keep mum first.

"Not to mention that you three have powers. A fire user, teleporter and one more. What can you do, little girl?" He directed the question to Nico.

Nico ignored him, even though she really wanted to lash out. How dare he call her a little girl, she was turning 17 this year! Nozomi, on the other hand, was surprised at his reaction to their powers. Not only did he not seem surprised that they had them, he also seemed intrigued. There was a greedy expression on his face and it sent chills down her spine. She glanced down at Maki and knew that she was having similar thoughts too. Then, she had an idea.

_"Maki, could you do __**that**__ now? It may work. Since it's dark, maybe they can't see our faces that clearly," _Nozomi suggested.

_"But... I can't control it. What if something goes wrong? What if you guys get affected too?"_

_"We'll cover our ears. We trust you, Maki,"_ Nico assured.

Maki glanced at them both sceptically. Nothing had ever gone right when she used her other power. However, she knew it was quite possibly their best chance now.

"Well? Are we just going to keep mum? Shall we start by grabbing you three first, then?"

Upon his words, the henchmen made a move to grab them. Two of them suddenly appeared beside Nico and captured her, since they weren't sure of what her powers were. Seeing Nico in even more danger was all Maki needed to use her other power. She had to try to save them.

Maki opened her mouth and started singing with a melodious voice. Nozomi and Nico immediately covered their ears and watched as everyone else faltered and stopped moving, entranced by Maki. Maki started imagining them attacking each other while she continued singing and the henchmen obeyed her wishes. Just as things were looking up, Aoyama hit Maki in the head with a stick nearby. The henchmen immediately fell out of their trance and looked around, confused.

"Well, that was unexpected. Such an interesting power you have. I'm sure that would be great for us," Aoyama chuckled with an evil glint in his eye.

Nozomi and Nico, who were crouching beside Maki on the ground, could do nothing but stare at the advancing henchmen hopelessly. They didn't know what would happen to them, but they did know that nothing good would come out of them being captured by Aoyama now. Just as they were about to resign to their fates, a bright light shone behind them.

_Wow, we really are in a movie._

"Aoyama. What are you doing with these three girls?" A lady approached them with a group of others behind her.

"Ah, Miss Chief Protector. Fancy seeing you here. We were just having a peaceful discussion."

What shocked Nozomi was that whenever they thought of the protectors, they imaged stern people in formal wear with shades, carrying pocket sized devices to call upon huge army troops and weaponry to capture wayward people with super powers. Instead, they were dressed in simple daily clothes. The Chief Protector as Aoyama pointed out was clad in a simple white sleeveless dress and her blue long hair was flowing with the wind. Something about her made everyone drawn towards her and Nozomi was sure that if the lady had commanded something, she would follow her orders.

"It doesn't look very peaceful to me since the red haired one looks incredibly in pain. They're surrounded by all your men," a blonde haired girl in a school uniform stated.

"Well, if it isn't my favourite NPA student. How's my dear Arisa doing?" Aoyama taunted her with an evil grin.

The blonde took a threatening step forward and was held back by another girl in the same uniform with long blue hair. She evidently calmed down a little, even though she was still staring daggers at Aoyama. He simply smirked, knowing that she couldn't do anything to him.

"Don't change the subject. So, what are you doing to these three? There's a child amongst them too," the Chief Protector diverted the topic back.

This time, Nozomi had to hold Nico back from lashing out.

_"Seriously! Twice in a day!"_

_"Calm down, Nicochi. The lady may just be able to save us."_

_"But what about all we've heard about the protectors?"_ Maki voiced out (or thought out) the unsaid question.

"I was just asking them what they were doing outside my house. Or rather inside for those two with dark hair. You see, I'm the victim here. I received a call from one of my security personnel about a strange red haired girl making fire just outside one of my rooms. The strange thing was that the fire was just floating near the window of the room. How suspicious! So I turned back and was met with the sight of this young lady evidently controlling the fire. We simply approached her and the other two appeared from nowhere. I'm certain that they were in the room where she was directing the fire's smoke towards. Why don't you search them?" His devious grin was not lost on everyone else.

The trio visibly paled and they knew that this was the end. Would they be forced into a special prison meant for individuals with powers? Aoyama certainly made himself look like the victim here and they were simply thieves receiving their punishment.

"If you have anything to declare, I suggest you do it now. We shouldn't have to do this the hard way, girls," the Chief Protector regarded them.

They hesitated. Giving them up would mean there was no chance for Nico's brother any longer but not giving them up would result in harsher punishment from them. Even though they knew that the protectors would search them and find them in the end, giving it up willingly meant more. It felt as though they had willingly given up Nico's brother's only chance for treatment.

_"Nicochi, do you trust me?"_

_"Of course."_

_"Then give the jewels up. I promise we'll still be able to help your brother."_

Nico hesitated, but one look at Nozomi and she knew that her best friend was not lying to her. She never would. Nico stood up and took the jewels out from her pockets and threw them towards Aoyama. Nozomi then followed suit but simply placed hers on the floor.

"Have your stinking jewels back," Nico couldn't help but snap at him with contempt.

"You see, Miss Chief? I was just punishing them; it's only right that I get to do so. This one doesn't even show remorse. Shouldn't I get to do something?"

"It's true that they are in the wrong. We will be taking them with us now. Thank you for helping out but we have no need for you to deal with them any further."

That being said, the rest of the protectors grabbed hold of them and ushered them towards a simple navy blue van. Nozomi knew they were in no position to resist, with Maki being injured and them officially deemed as criminals, but she couldn't help but have an urge to break free from the protectors. They had no idea what would happen to them now and the fleeting thought of going back to Aoyama crossed her mind, though milliseconds later she told herself that it would probably be worse. They took their seats in the van, all three of them seated in the middle with two protectors beside them. Nozomi was in the last row with the blonde girl on her left and she felt uneasy because she had a feeling the blonde protector sat beside her on purpose.

"So, are you going to hand it over?" The blonde whispered.

_She knows._

Nozomi hesitated and opted to ignore her.

_Shoots, she knows I kept one of them. Just play it cool._

"I can always call for a body search later. Would you prefer that?"

Nozomi didn't know what to do. The protector regarded her with her cold, blue eyes and even in her situation, Nozomi couldn't help but feel drawn to those eyes. She shook her thoughts away and simply put on her blank expression, the one that had gotten her out of so many tricky situations before. She would figure something out later when they reached wherever they were going.

"Eri, just let her be. They've had a long day," the blue haired one in the uniform spoke up from in front of them.

"But-"

She gave the blonde a look and she stopped. The blonde let out a frustrated sigh and looked out the window with her arms crossed. Nozomi gave the bluenette a grateful look and she returned with a smile.

Not long after, they reached a huge building that Nozomi recognised as the Ministry of Defence.

"No way, was what we did such a big deal? Why are we here?" Nico asked, dumbfounded.

"You'll find out soon enough. Let's go," the Chief stepped out of the van and the rest followed suit, taking the trio along with them.

The tall glass building stood in front of them, regal yet imposing. The glass structure made it look fragile, almost as though it was mocking their country's defence. However, everyone knew it was made of metallic glass and it was near impossible to bring it down. It was a silent taunt to their potential enemies, inviting them to attack yet knowing that they would never bring them down. A perfect defence.

The Chief led them into the building and blindfolded them shortly after. They all figured it was for security purposes and mutely followed. It would do them no good to retaliate now, anyway. After walking for a while, they entered a lift and went up.

_"Where do you think we're going?"_ Maki asked with a strain in her voice.

_"Ah, Maki. Are you feeling better?"_ Nozomi asked.

_"My head hurts, but I'll manage."_

_"We're probably going to the some police station but run by the protectors."_ Nico replied Maki's question.

_"It's the Ministry of Defence, though, so maybe it's their headquarters."_ Nozomi thought worriedly.

"I can hear you all, so there's no point in using telepathy," the Chief suddenly spoke up and the three startled. "Don't worry too much about everything. If you cooperate, we won't harm you."

The hidden message was not lost on them. They reached their destination moments after and the blindfolds were removed. The trio was seated in three seats and upon looking around, the place looked like a typical interview room. It was exactly as they had seen in the movies except a little less dramatic. There was a table in front of them and the Chief sat on the other side of the table. Behind them was a black wall but Nozomi figured it was probably a one way glass of some sort. Since the protectors had powers, though, it could be even more "high-tech".

"Okay, this is how everything's going to go from now. Just explain the situation to me while some of the other protectors do a check on you. If there are any questions for you, we'll ask. Don't bother lying because we can tell."

The three of them shared a look and Nico started explaining, seeing as Maki was still in pain. She told the whole story about how they needed money for a personal reason and had no choice but to resort to that, explaining their Robin Hood rationale. Halfway through, someone entered and gave ice to Maki and Nico went over to her side to help her soothe the pain. Nozomi then explained their plan in detail and recounted the events which led up to the arrival of the protectors. The Chief listened in silence most of the time, occasionally asking questions where the duo did not explain in depth enough. When Nozomi was done with retelling the events, the Chief brought up their past pranks. The background check was evidently done.

"The pranks were my fault. It's a personal reason involving my parents. It also gave Nico some material for her personal reasons too," Maki answered the unspoken question.

The Chief regarded them for a while.

"Very well. I believe you three are familiar with the fact that if you're caught using your powers inappropriately, we'll have to take action, yes?"

Their silence meant showed their answer and dread.

"Relax. You'll be going to a school for those with super powers starting the day after tomorrow. Your parents will be informed. We'll pick you up from your houses at 8am sharp."

It was evident that they had no say in this decision. The change was too abrupt and the trio couldn't process it just yet. Their never changing days would now be completely different from before.

"You can't just make us change schools just like that. How about all the administration?" Maki countered.

"The school year is coming to an end and our exams are coming soon. If we go to a new school, how are we able to adapt so quickly?" Nozomi continued.

"What about the school fees?" Nico asked hesitantly.

The other two faltered as they remembered that Nico had an even bigger problem than them. With the current public school they were going to, she was fully covered by a financial assistive program. A school for kids with super powers didn't seem like a government school that had such a program.

"Everything will be taken care of so you don't need to worry. The academic exam is the same as in normal schools so there won't be much of a change. As for school fees, you will be charged based on a debt. Clearing it shouldn't be a problem for you, though."

Nico wanted to ask what she meant by that last statement as if she had known of a way to earn money quickly, she would have already done it. However, they were dismissed and teleported back to the Nishikino Residence's front porch.

"Jeez, that was abrupt," Nico grumbled.

"Are we really going to a new school?" Maki worried.

"Who knows? It's late, let's catch some sleep and think through this tomorrow. It seems like it'll be our last day in our current school, so let's try to enjoy it," Nozomi, ever the voice of reason, convinced them. "Nicochi, you should just stay here."

Nico agreed and they all headed to the second floor where the bedrooms were. An unspoken consensus was for them to sleep in the same room, all of them not feeling safe enough to sleep alone. As they shared the king sized bed, Nico and Maki slowly drifted off to sleep while Nozomi let her thoughts run wild, recalling the day's events.

The clock had begun to tick once more but this time, she knew the date was different.

* * *

**A/N**

**Phew! That was a whopping 6.2k words. I hope you guys enjoyed it (and that this may redeem my mistake for TTS).**

**Thanks for staying with me! Now to answer a few reviews from TTS.**

**hikarigranger: Sorry to disappoint you after that speedy update :( Hope this makes up for it though!**

**Aviel Elloy: That honestly never occurred to me while I was writing TTS but I did take that into account here ^^ Thanks for that tidbit of information!**

**To everyone that enjoyed The End of Ordinary Sorrow too, thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad it had the desired effect -evil cackling-**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**

**So... Hey guys -cowers in a corner- I'm so sorry. That's all I can say -throws 6k long chapter- Please forgive me -grovels-**

* * *

Eli and Umi returned to the Special Dorm soon after they cleaned things up. Fortunately, there were hardly any witnesses to the event so there was not much work needed to be done. Umi loaded her account and checked that her reward was transferred while Eli simply waited for her to be done. She didn't care for the reward, after all.

"Welcome back! How was the Errand?" Their close friend Kotori jumped from the couch where she was waiting for their return.

"Same usual. We have three new students the day after tomorrow," Umi replied with a soft smile.

"So it was a recruitment Errand?"

"Not really. It just turned out that way. They were getting into trouble. Speaking of which, why did you stop me, Umi?" Eli turned on the other girl, confused.

They both knew that the purple haired one had kept some of the stolen goods. Eli felt that it was only right that she handed them over but Umi had stopped her. She just didn't understand why, though. Wasn't it the right thing to do?

"I think they had a reason for committing that act in the first place. Why not just help them a little? Anyway, not everyone is as lucky as us."

She wouldn't admit that the reason why she had been so lenient was because Kotori had told her before to not be too strict to others, though.

"Lucky, huh..." Eli snorted a little.

"Anyway, it's good to relax a little. There's no need to follow the rules so strictly all the time, right Eli?" Kotori grinned. "I wish I could join you both, though! Errands seem so exciting."

"You know why you can't, Kotori. Besides, Errands aren't all that fun anyway. It's late now so let's all go to bed," Umi declared.

As they retired to their respective rooms, Eli thought about how bold those three were.

_They must have been really desperate to steal from Aoyama. Either that or they're simply ignorant._

The thought of Aoyama brought back other memories and Eli clenched her fists.

_I'll definitely expose him one day._

* * *

The morning light filtered in through the window, unshielded by Maki's drawn curtains, waking Nozomi up. Her short lived peacefulness was disrupted the moment she recalled the previous night's events. She turned to her right and a small smile grew on her face. Nico and Maki were snuggled together and knowing them, it was completely unintentional.

_Those two should just be more honest with themselves,_ Nozomi thought, shaking her head as she headed to her bathroom to wash up.

It was barely 7 in the morning and Nozomi decided that she still had some time to make a quick trip to somewhere. Within a few minutes, she was heading out of the house after greeting the maids and reminding them to get breakfast ready for three. She just hoped the shop was open this early.

* * *

Nico slowly pried her eyes open and her vision was filled with crimson. Last night's events came back to her in fragments and the first thing she remembered was how badly injured Maki was. Frantic, she whipped her head around, only to realise that said girl was in her arms. Nico immediately let go of her and leapt back a little, surprised at their somewhat compromising position.

_Did we get that close in our sleep?_

Nico blushed a little and leant forward to check on Maki's injuries. Her head still looked swollen and Nico wished it had been her that was hurt instead. At least she couldn't feel much pain because of her super endurance. She gently swept the hair around the bruise and touched the sore spot, heart slightly aching. Maki stirred from the contact and Nico jerked back again.

"M-morning, Maki," Nico greeted, slightly flustered.

Maki replied dazedly, reaching to the back of her head and rubbing it to soothe the ache. Then, she remembered something important.

"Nico, what are we going to do about your brother's fees?"

Nico's shoulders slumped. It had been a constant nagging at the back of her mind whilst going through the whole whirlwind of events, but she refused to think about it. It would mean facing the likely possibility that her brother could die because she couldn't help him.

"I don't know..." Her usual strong demeanour wasn't possible to be kept up at that moment.

Maki sensed the other girl's helplessness and felt the need to comfort her. Friends could comfort each other right? She moved to Nico and awkwardly wrapped her arms around her. Surprised, Nico looked up, only to realise her mistake.

_Oh my gosh her face is so near mine, I can see her eyes so clearly. Was violet ever such a beautiful colour?_

The duo stared into each others' eyes for a prolonged moment, both subconsciously noticing the tension yet were unable to do anything.

"Maki-chan, are you and your friend up yet?" The door pushed open and Maki's first nanny opened the door.

They jumped apart from each other, faces flushed.

"Y-yeah. Good morning, Nan."

Nico excused herself to get ready while Maki sat there, watching her leave.

_Geez, what was that..._

"Nozomi-chan and you came back really late last night. We were all worried," Nanny expressed her concern while a few other maids entered Maki's room and made the bed.

"Papa and Mama didn't even know, right?" Maki asked wistfully while combing her hair.

Their silence was all she needed to get her answer.

"Master and Mistress are really busy people, but I'm sure they would be really worried if they had known," one of the maids tried.

Maki gave a half-hearted grateful smile and proceeded to her bathroom to wash up. Of course her parents wouldn't know. They hardly ever do know what's going on with her. She wouldn't be surprised if they didn't know about her and Nozomi transferring out.

She headed down to the dining table to find Nico there waiting for her and took the seat across her.

"Where's Nozomi?" Just as she asked, a voice came out from behind her.

"I'm back. Did I miss breakfast?"

Maki jumped in shock and sparks flew from her. Naturally, Nico collapsed, laughing.

"Geez... Don't just teleport wherever you want. It's creepy."

"That's rich coming from the girl who can control people just by singing," Nozomi teased. "Speaking of which, why didn't it work on Aoyama?"

"Not sure," Maki replied, slightly dejected.

She had always tried to minimise the usage of her other power. It was simply out of her control and she didn't want to cause any accidents. All she knew was that she had to think of what she wanted her target to do while singing and it may work. The specifics were still a complete blur to her, though. It had always been a last resort thing for their pranks, just in case they were in a situation that they couldn't get out of. Last night was the first time she had ever had to use it and it hurt her slightly to know that it couldn't help them last night.

"Hey, relax. I don't think the problem was in your powers. It worked on the other people there right?" Nozomi comforted.

"...Did you just read my mind?"

"You're so easy to read that there's no need for me to even use my powers," Nozomi teased, causing Maki to flush slightly.

Nico watched the interaction between the two, irrational jealousy bubbling in her. She knew that what was between them was purely a sisterly bond but she couldn't help herself. Wasn't it natural to want to be closest to the person you liked?

_Wait, what? No way. I just wish I could be as close to them as they are with each other. We're a trio, after all, _Nico reasoned in her mind.

"Anyway, Nozomi, you said you had a plan?" She interjected.

Nozomi remembered what she had left the house so early for and reached for her pockets.

"Here, Nico. For your brother," she held her hand out, grasping a thick wad of bills.

The other two stared at the hand in shock, mouths agape, both not comprehending how Nozomi had gotten the money.

"I kept one of the jewels, the one that looked the most precious. I pawned it just a while ago. Unfortunately it's not enough to cover the full bill but it should last for a while and we can think of something else."

Nico leapt into Nozomi's arms and showered her with thanks. Grateful tears streamed down her face and relief coursed through her. Her brother could live. He didn't have to die at such a young age. Nozomi wrapped her arms around the smaller girl and held her while she collapsed in relief. She glanced at Maki, just to check if the other girl was jealous. (She knew, after all. It was so obvious to her.) Maki just looked at her "sister" comforting her dearest friend with a peaceful expression on her face. She was so relieved that everything wasn't hopeless after all.

"We're lucky the blue haired student stopped the blonde one from making me hand it over, though. They definitely knew."

"Why did she, though?" Maki pondered, ever the curious one.

"No idea. What matters is that we have it," Nozomi replied and the other girls nodded in assent.

"Maki-sama, Nozomi-sama. A letter for each of you," Maki's personal butler came and handed them each an envelope.

The girls turned their attention to the letters and saw a huge insignia on the top left corner of the envelope. A foreign looking school emblem was printed on it with the words NOVA PRIVATE ACADEMY printed in bold beside it. The trio exchange a look and Maki turned hers over. A wax seal covered the flap and she peeled it open with ease.

"Dear Ms Nishikino,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Nova Private Academy. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary belongings. Uniforms, books and other study materials will be provided upon registration in school. You are free to bring more than listed as long as it adheres to our guidelines.

We await your arrival.

Yours Sincerely,

Minami Haruka  
Principal"

They looked through the list and realised that it was actually a boarding school. It simply contained a short list of necessities, nothing more.

"I'm guessing Nico has the exact same letter in her house," Nozomi broke the silence.

"So what, our punishment is to go to a boarding school with such a lame name?" Nico burst out. "I can't go to boarding school, my family needs me!"

"We don't exactly have a choice... They're supposed to pick us up tomorrow at 8," Maki twirled her hair in her fingers, a habit of hers that showed when she was bored or uncomfortable.

"The Chief protector did say that everything would be taken care of, though. I wonder what she meant by that," Nozomi wondered aloud.

"Who knows? We should probably stop by your house, though," Maki said to Nico.

They finished up their breakfast hastily and made their way to the Yazawa residence.

* * *

"...And so we have to go to boarding school," Nico finished explaining the situation.

She didn't exactly tell the truth about what happened, though. Just that they were discovered using their powers and said person wanted to capture them, leading to their rescue by some benevolent characters who then decided that it was safer for them to stay in a school just for people with powers. They didn't realise how accurate the story was at the moment, though.

"They also said that we didn't need to worry about school fees and all the administration, so don't worry about the monetary aspect," Nozomi assured Nico's parents.

Nico's family was more concerned about the fact that she would be leaving and seemingly unable to visit till much longer, though. Sensing her need for some family time, Maki and Nozomi told her that they would be outside and to take her time. It was their last day of school, after all, so who cares if they were late?

"Here, money for Koutarou's medical treatment. It's not enough for the full thing yet, but I promise to raise the rest somehow," Nico said as she passed the money to her parents.

"Nico... We're so sorry. If only we were more capable, you wouldn't have to use your powers to raise money and end up getting sent to boarding school," her mother cried regretfully as she hugged Nico.

"You're the best parents I could ask for. I don't regret what happened, only that we weren't more careful."

"Oneechan..." Kokoa and Kokoro came over. "Are you leaving us?"

"Of course not. Not forever, at least. Oneechan just has to go to a new school and learn a lot more so she can save more people. Everyone needs the help of Superhero Nico, after all," Nico assured her sisters.

"Promise you'll come back?" Kokoro pleaded.

"Promise."

The family shared a hug and more moments as Nico wistfully reminded herself that she would miss this warmth for many weeks to come.

Outside, Nozomi and Maki waited in silence, letting their thoughts consume them.

"No matter what happens, you'll always have me," Nozomi answered to Maki's thoughts.

She had been thinking about how Nico was so lucky to have such a warm family, even if they were struggling. They were a classic example of how wealth is not happiness. No matter what kind of hardships they had to face, what mattered was that they had stuck together. They shared a love and bond that Maki and Nozomi had never known.

"S-stop reading my thoughts..." Maki deflected, albeit knowing that Nozomi would never do so.

Nozomi simply gave her a warm smile as she brought Maki into her embrace, sharing a sisterly hug. It took a while for Maki to return it, seemingly reluctantly. They both knew the truth, though.

* * *

The girls walked to school together in silence, different from their usual chatty atmosphere with Nico talking about what pranks she would like to do next, Maki considering the finer details and Nozomi trying to play it down a little. All they could think about was their impending departure to a completely new environment. They didn't even know anything about the school. It wasn't as if they couldn't fend for themselves. They knew that all of them were highly capable in using their powers. However, that didn't mean that there wouldn't be others better than them. What if that school had some sort of hierarchy system? Or what if brawls were a daily thing and they could get severely injured? It did seem like a detention school, after all. It could even be like jail.

Deep in thought, they didn't even notice they had passed the school gates till a teacher approached them and told them to go to the Principal's office. Naturally, that had caused a huge commotion. Was The Trio finally getting their punishment? Poor Nozomi, they would think, getting into trouble because of the other two.

Nozomi ignored their thoughts that had filtered into her consciousness. It wasn't as if she wanted to hear them; she just didn't actively block them out so she was used to hearing bits and pieces even when she wasn't paying attention to them. The trio entered the Principal's office and turns out it was simply about their transfer tomorrow. The usual formalities and all. The only thing that surprised them was that all the details had been planned out without them even having to do anything. It seemed too convenient.

_The protectors must be really powerful,_ Nozomi noted.

They returned to their respective classes and carried on as per any other normal school day. Or so they had hoped. Turns out, news spreads really fast and within the first period, everyone in school knew about their impending transfer to Nova Private Academy.

"Toujou-chan, is it true that you're going to NPA?"

"I heard that it's a super prestigious school!"

"Apparently all the students there are handpicked by the school."

"It's supposed to be a school for the most talented and gifted ones!"

"Everyone that goes there is someone really amazing, right?"

"I heard that our Minister of Defence is from that school."

"With your grades and spiritual powers, it's no wonder that you're chosen, Toujou-chan!"

"I wonder how Yazawa got chosen, though..."

Nozomi simply smiled and deflected all questions. She didn't know that NPA was so prestigious. The way they had spoken about it made the school seem to be better than what they had expected.

_"People here are gushing about how good the school is,"_ Nozomi informed the other two.

_"Same here, only they aren't directing it to me. They're just talking about it amongst themselves,"_ Maki replied.

_"I heard what your classmate said, Nozomi! Sheesh, all I'm getting are remarks about how no one can believe that I got in..."_

_"Of course, it's you we're talking about here," _Maki drawled.

_"You-!"_

_"Now now. Anyway, it seems like this school doesn't seem to bad. Maybe we're worrying too much?"_

_"You always do anyway, Nozomi."_

_"Shall we have a last prank tonight to commemorate our years of pranking?" _Nico suggested.

For once, Nozomi didn't try to make them play it down. What else could the protectors do to them, now that they had been sent away?

* * *

Eli entered the Student Council room early in the morning, before all the other students were even in school. For the Student Council Executive Committee (EXCO), it was simply part of their job scope. Despite being the President, though, Eli was always the last amongst the three of them to reach the room. She greeted Umi and Kotori while stifling a yawn.

"Morning, Eli!" Kotori's chipper tone brought some life into her morning.

"Morning. Thanks for your hard work, you two."

"Here's your pile. We're almost done with ours. Sheesh, if you could just wake up earlier..." Umi chided her lightly, tempted to give Eli a full on lecture about her sleeping habits.

It was a well known fact amongst the three of them that despite how serious and responsible Eli was, she loved sleeping in even more than her love for her work. Never a morning person, she had always been the last one to wake up, which explained why the other two often headed off to the Council Room before her. Besides, she could finish the same amount of work thrice as fast as them.

Eli simply brushed off her Vice President's remarks and got down to business. The three worked in silence and it wasn't till they were almost done that Umi spoke up.

"I just received information from the school board. The three that we found last night will be joining our school tomorrow, so we're expected to orientate them."

Umi was basically a walking information database. She could find out anything about anyone as long as she knew their faces. Being the ethical and upright person she was, though, she only used it when need be for private matters. Otherwise, it was a really handy power. She knew of updates the moment someone else she recognised found out about it, hence explaining how she knew about the three troublemakers joining their school and their upcoming duty.

"We already have enough on our plate. Can't the other Councillors do it?" Eli sighed in annoyance.

"They probably have their reasons for making us handle these three. From what I know, they've caused quite a bit of trouble."

"That's interesting. What did they do?" Kotori asked, intrigued.

Umi filled the two in on how the trio had been carrying out pranks since years ago. She told a few stories of what she could find out without expending any energy and the more Eli heard about those stories, the more determined she was to ensure that they didn't continue their acts in school.

Kotori, on the other hand, was thrilled.

"They sound so fun! It's like an adventure every night. I wonder if they'll teach me about how they thought of all those brilliant plans?" Kotori wondered with excitement oozing out from her.

"Why would you want to learn about that?" Eli asked, confused.

It just seemed like a childish game they were playing, after all. Amateurs using their powers for petty stuff like that, not thinking carefully about the consequences.

"It's pretty fun, isn't it? Being able to use your powers just to have fun," Kotori sighed wistfully. "I think it'd be really interesting to see!"

Eli shook her head and returned to her work as Kotori turned to Umi, asking for more stories.

_How Kotori ever ended up in the Student Council even with her mother disapproving will always be a mystery to me._

* * *

_"I know I said that we should end off with a bang, but are we really going to do this?" _Nozomi asked the other two doubtfully, although she already knew their answer.

_"Of course. We can treat it as a way to make up for causing trouble in the past," _Nico reasoned.

_"You just want to be a real hero for once. Just be honest already,"_ Maki drawled with her classic twirl of her hair.

_"I could say the same for you, Queen of Tsundere,"_ Nico stuck her tongue out.

_"Okay, okay, let's finish this quickly and you two can have your lover's banter later on," _Nozomi teased, delighting in their flushed faces.

The three of them hid on the rooftop of a building, looking down at the people around them. Nico kept a lookout for people approaching them, just in case, while Nozomi scanned the minds of everyone, sifting out anyone suspicious. Their aim for that night was to prevent as many crimes as possible, regardless of how minor it was. Maki wouldn't have much to do that night, which was good considering her head was still a little sore.

It didn't take long before Nozomi discovered someone.

_"Got someone. I can't see his face but he's heading somewhere more secluded. We can follow him."_

The others took that as their cue to get closer to Nozomi while she teleported them to where she thought he would be heading. She had seen the image in his mind and it seemed to be some abandoned area.

_What a typical creepy place. I wonder what he's doing here._

_"Nozomi, are you sure we're supposed to be here?" _Maki glanced around uneasily.

They all felt a strange atmosphere from their surroundings. Every fibre of their beings were telling them to get away from the place.

_"G-guys! I can sense someone inside that building! I can hardly hear the heartbeat though..."_

_"Should we check it out?" _Maki asked reluctantly.

_"I guess it would be good to. Nico, is there anyone else approaching?"_

_"Not that I can hear of."_

With that, the trio headed towards the building, Nico leading the way with Maki's small flames around them for light. As they reached the building, Nico noticed that there was a vehicle approaching them fast.

_"There's someone coming. They should be here in about 3 minutes. Should we leave?"_

Nozomi was about to reply when she heard something.

_Please... Help..._

It was a girl, judging by the voice in her head. A girl who sounded so desperate, it brought a sharp pain in Nozomi's chest. The raw desperation of the girl was so vivid that Nozomi could feel it too. There were times when she could feel the emotions that others were experiencing because of her powers. They were uncommon, but they still happened and she knew that they could be this girl's only hope.

_"There's a girl in trouble there. She sounds really desperate," _Nozomi conveyed her thoughts along with the girl's to the other two.

Upon hearing the girl's weak yet desperate pleas, Nico rushed towards her without second thought, surprising the other two.

_"Geez, she could at least tell us where the girl is first..."_

_"I'll teleport us to Nico."_

They teleported safely to Nico, only to be met with a sight that would be seared into their minds for a long time to come.

A girl that was definitely around their age was hung from the ceiling by chains. Her body was limp and if it weren't for Nico's hearing of her barely beating heart or Nozomi's telepathy, they could never tell she was alive. Her whole body seemed to be connected to wires, leading out of the room. Blood stained the floor and walls, clear traces of her prior torture. The girl's hair was matted red from all the blood, although traces of dirty orange could be seen, leading them to conclude that that was her real hair colour. Her eyes were half open and lifeless.

"We need to get her out of here," Maki said in horror.

_"Shh. We can never be too careful. How much longer do we have, Nico?"_

_"Barely a minute till it reaches this place, then maybe another minute for the passengers to check up on this girl."_

_"Maki, could you burn through the metal chains? I'll try talking to her through telekinesis while Nico can check the wires."_

_"I could help break through the chains too, after the wires,"_ Nico offered, not wanting Maki to strain herself too much.

They agreed and got down to business. Nico sped off, following the path that the wires led to. Maki took out her lighter and intensified the flames. She brought the white hot fireballs and started slicing the more complex linkages. Meanwhile, Nozomi tried to establish some form of communication with the girl. In the time that had passed so far, she had realised that the only coherent thoughts the girl had were those two words. She had a feeling the girl was simply alive but that was all. There was no life in the girl.

_"Can you hear me? Give me some sort of response if you can."_

Silence.

_"We're going to get you out of here, I promise. Just give me a signal or some sign that you're still conscious," _Nozomi thought worriedly.

_Please... Help..._

_"Guys, I think she's connected to some sort of power source... Or rather it looks like a generator? I saw this in Physics class this week," _Nico informed.

Nozomi transferred Nico's image over to Maki for further identification.

_"Oh gosh. It's a power source that's being charged. It's feeding off this girl somehow to gain energy! Nico, you need to disconnect it. Don't destroy it, it probably contains a lot of energy in it," _Maki thought in shock.

_"Great, how do I do that? Can I just rip the wires?"_

_"That should work,"_ Nozomi replied.

_"For this girl to be charging the source... Does that mean she has powers too? Some sort of energy generating power?"_ Maki realised.

_"If she really does have powers, that means we're in danger if those people find us."_

_"This is probably a bad time to say this, but the car is almost here."_

True enough, they could make out the faint engine sound that was gradually drawing nearer.

_"We need to hurry! Nico, are you done with the wires?"_

_"Almost! There are just so many..."_

Nozomi used her telekinesis to try and get the girl out but the chains were simply too tangled. She couldn't even teleport the girl since she could barely make out her face. Maki was sweating profusely from having expended a lot of energy and it was taking longer to cut through the thick metal. Nico came back the next second, rushing over to try to break the chains. It was definitely faster but Nozomi could hear the footsteps. She quickly picked up whatever was lying around the room with her telekinesis and tried to block the entrance. They could easily teleport out of here once the girl was freed.

If only it was that easy.

Nozomi heard the thoughts of the guy first. He knew that there was something up. Nico and her weren't being very quiet in their desperate attempt to rescue the girl, after all.

_"He's running up the stairs!"_ Nico informed frantically as she tried to quicken her pace.

Then came the earthquake. It literally knocked them all off their feet and the wall that Nozomi had built crumbled.

"...What are you doing to my gold mine?" The suspicious man that Nozomi had picked out from before approached them.

He was evidently an earth element user of some sort. Around him were moving statues made of earth and they terrified Nozomi. If they could break down the hastily built yet strong wall she had made, which mainly consisted of metal, who knew what kind of damage they could do to them. They all froze, not knowing what to do while the man took in the sight of them rescuing the girl.

"You three have powers too? That's wonderful... I'm going to earn so much."

His evil tone sent chills down their spines and deep down, they knew that this may just be worse than last night.

_"Nozomi, what now?"_

_"I... I don't know..."_

She really didn't. They were still a good 5 minutes away from freeing the girl and she was sure it would only take the guy 5 second to capture them all. They couldn't ask Maki to sing again, she was too worn out from trying to free the girl. The only had two options. Nozomi was torn between teleporting the three of them out to save them and staying here to confront the guy head on. But she knew that deep down, she couldn't abandon the girl.

The three of them shared a look and knew they had a unanimous decision.

_"Nico, could you try taking on those statues? I'll be fine on my own,"_ Maki suggested as she intensified her flames.

_"I'll help,"_ Nozomi offered as the guy sent the statues forward.

Nico confronted them head on, speeding around and knocking them to the ground as best she could. However, the guy just reformed them again. Nozomi took this as her chance to help and tried to use her telekinesis to keep the earth apart. It seemed like a good plan: Nico would smash them, breaking them into pieces while Nozomi kept the pieces apart and in her control so the guy couldn't reform them.

If only things worked out as well as in theory.

The guy was obviously experienced in using his powers. He easily controlled the earth even with Nozomi's effort and put the statues back together. Furthermore, they were simply too strong and too abundant for Nico. Even with her endurance, she was feeling the strain and pain whenever she was hit by them. Not only did he manage to keep both Nozomi and Nico busy, he also sent other earth blobs towards Maki and extinguished her flames. It was a simple battle of elements and her flames couldn't last.

It wasn't long before the three were pinned on the ground by the statues and a pile of earth so they couldn't move.

"Nice try, but amateurs can't win against me. Now, what have you done to my power source..."

He approached the girl, lifting her face to him as he laughed darkly.

"Stop acting pitiful. I know you can still charge the source. Do it now!" He commanded her and when she simply fell limply back down when he let go of her, he made more statues and started beating her up.

Nozomi felt the pain the girl experienced. She still maintained a telepathic connection to her and in the midst of the fighting, she had forgotten to sever it. Some part of her felt better knowing that the girl wasn't alone in her pain, though.

The guy turned his attention to the three of them.

"Well, it seems Fire Girl isn't all that strong after all. Maybe you won't be that useful," he sneered as he picked Maki up by her hair, pain searing through her body.

She refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream, though. Giving him her most hateful glare, she looked deep into his eyes, challenging him.

"I really hate that look of yours. Maybe I should get rid of you first?"

Chunks of earth started to bind her nose and mouth and Maki struggled to breathe. She clawed at the dirt but her arms were easily restrained by more earth.

"Maki!" Nico struggled to get out from the statues' grasp but they were simply too strong for her.

Nozomi tried to control the earth but the man was simply too powerful. They were too weak.

So naturally, when all hope seemed lost, there was a bright flash and the earth's hold on them was temporarily loosened. The man cried out in shock more than pain and the trio directed their attention to the source of the flash.

The girl had one hand raised towards the man and her lifeless eyes were staring straight at him. There were sparks around her hand and arm that looked like they had more life than her. Just as sudden as she had attacked, she fell back down, obviously expending the last of her energy. However, her attack had saved Maki as she cleared the dirt covering her face, heavily gasping for air.

"Why, you-" The man charged towards the now unconscious girl when he was suddenly knocked onto the ground.

They all turned their eyes towards the entrance where their new saviour was and discovered it was none other than the blonde student amongst the protectors yesterday. Only this time, she was alone.

_Stupid, how can she take him on alone?_ Maki thought as she watched the blonde regard the man with contempt. The man, on the other hand, looked back at her with fear growing in his eyes.

The blonde looked at the three of them on the floor.

"I thought they said there was only one girl..." She mumbled to herself in annoyance and approached the man.

"Wait... I have money! Information! You're Her, aren't you? I have information!" The man pleaded for mercy as he backed away.

The trio watched in amazement as the incredibly intimidating man from before was reduced to a blubbering pathetic mess in front of the student. They didn't understand why he seemed so afraid of her. Granted, she had a powerful aura around her but she couldn't have been older than them or the other girl in chains.

"You can't possibly have the information I need," Eli replied flatly and watched as the fear in his eyes grew.

In a desperate attempt to survive, he tried to fight back. He sent all the earth that was initially restraining the others towards her, trying to entomb her. Maybe he could be the first to survive an intervention from Her. Unfortunately, he was not a match for Eli at all.

As soon as the earth started flying towards her, it disintegrated into soil particles and scattered around them. The man let out a strangled sound at the sight of his final attack being destroyed so easily. She didn't even move.

With a flick of Eli's wrist, he froze. Literally. He was encased in an ice, becoming one of those statues that he had created, only that it was made of ice instead of earth.

Nico's jaw dropped and the trio stared in awe. Had she just defeated him in less than 5 minutes while they had literally fought for their lives just a while ago? Were they even fighting against the same person?

They got up from their positions on the floor and Nico and Nozomi rushed towards Maki who was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. Eli turned towards the three of them and examined them. Her eyes landed on Nozomi and memories from the previous night's Errand came back to her.

"You're the three from yesterday. What are you doing here?" She inquired in a flat tone.

She didn't get a reply from them. They didn't know what to say, after all. It had started out simply as their attempt to do good while still having fun playing pranks and had escalated to them almost getting killed.

"No matter. You're not on my objectives list so I guess you can go."

Eli went towards the girl in chains. She lifted her face, turning it and looking at her for a while before lifting her other hand and waving it slightly. The chains simply fell apart and the girl fell into her arms.

_Seriously, what else can she do..._ Nozomi thought in wonder.

"U-um... Is she going to be okay?" Nozomi asked, surprising them all by voicing out her concern.

"Where are you taking her to?" Nico asked, suspicious.

"Somewhere safe," Eli replied as she turned to face them, girl slung over her shoulder. "She'll be fine."

Upon seeing the relief on their faces, Eli softened a little.

_Maybe they aren't just pranksters that only think about having their own fun._

She regarded their battered states and Maki's slumped body.

"Do you need help getting out of here?" Eli asked, still toneless. (Nozomi noticed it wasn't as harsh, though.)

Nozomi shook her head, knowing it was easier for her to just teleport them back. It was probably better to get the girl to the "safe place" faster too. The sooner she received medical treatment, the better.

Eli nodded in acknowledgement.

"Then, see you tomorrow. Don't be late, this is not a good excuse."

She turned, hesitated and glanced back.

"...Thank you for your help with the girl."

With that, she walked out the entrance, ice statue of the man hovering behind her.

"...What was that..." Maki mumbled.

"She said 'see you tomorrow'... Does that mean she's from Nova?" Nico realised.

"Who knows... Anyway, we should get back," Nozomi wearied as she teleported them back to the Nishikino residence.

They ended up in the backyard but considering how worn out they were, none of them commented on the weird location.

"Seriously, years of no major hiccups at all and suddenly we get it twice in a row..." Nico sighed.

They looked at the time and realised it was almost 10pm. They had been out for almost three hours. Had it really been that long?

"I should be getting back to my family," Nico said as she hesitantly regarded Maki. "Will you be alright?"

"Y-yeah... I just need some rest," Maki flushed slightly at the attention Nico was showing her.

_Friends can care for each other. Stop blushing._

Nozomi watched in amusement and simply kept quiet. Nico gave Maki one more concerned look.

"T-then, I'll go now. Take care, you two."

Nico sped off, knowing that her family was probably worried about her. This time, at least, she had a real story to tell. (She'd probably omit the part where Eli came and saved them, though.)

"What a long day, huh..." Nozomi pondered aloud as Maki and her walked towards their rooms.

"Why did we even start this..." Maki grumbled as she fell on her bed, exhausted.

Nozomi chuckled as she went to her bathroom to get cleaned up. She contemplated chiding Maki for now washing up first (because seriously, they were just entombed in dirt) but figured she'd have the sense to do so sooner or later. As she freshened up and got ready to rest, she thought about the girl that had saved them twice.

_The man was evidently afraid of her. Aoyama called out on her yesterday too. Wonder what she's so known for... I'm thankful that she saved us though. What an interesting person..._

Nozomi exited her bathroom, clean and ready for bed. She headed to Maki's room and sure enough, the bed was empty. She flopped onto Maki's bed, figuring she could use some company tonight. Her 'little sister' did just escape death, after all. It would be no surprise than Maki was shaken up and since Nico couldn't stay, she was the next best option.

She decided to sleep first, knowing Maki would simply join her later. The girl did have princess tendencies and took really long showers.

_Tomorrow will be interesting. I'm looking forward to meeting her._

* * *

**A/N**

**I hope y'all enjoyed that! I'm really sorry for not updating. I'm actually in the midst of my preparations towards a National Exam (it's in 59 days!) so I'll really be quite slow. That being said, I apologise for future slow updates that will most likely happen (like... 99% chance). If you ever crave for more fics/random writings, just go to tagged/eve-writes to see a few short stuff that I write and don't post here ^^ Do feel free to check out many other Tumblr users' mini fics there too! (Like... On Tumblr, not that link cos that's my personal one.) They're all super awesome ^^**

**~Review Answering Time~ (I love you all)**

**negative10: **I like my choice of ships too heh ^^ Yay, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Don't worry, I won't pull the same thing I did for TTS on this :P I actually have a plan for this one hahaha. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**lunarsaber12: **Hahaha I love me some fluff so... Idk if I'll be shoving it down here :P Hope my lame attempts at action scenes are okay though! Hmm I'd probably be mentioning their powers as time goes by. As of now, the revealed powers are like this:

Nozomi: Mind powers. Can see the future, Telepathy, Teleportation, Telekinesis, Television (jk)

Nico: Superhuman. Basically enhanced strength, senses, speed, endurance etc. Heals super fast too. But she can't fly (yet? Ohoho)

Maki: Fire powers + mind control via singing. Something like the Pheromone Alice from Gakuen Alice? Except instead of the pheromones and all it's her singing.

Eli: I'll keep this a secret for now. Infer what you want from this chapter ^^ (Ice is a given duh)

Umi: Information Database. Explained in this chapter.

Rin: Lightning powers

There may be more powers for each person as time passes. Like I'll reveal more and all ^^ Not everyone has two powers or more. Like Rin would probably only have Lightning powers and Nico would only have her Superhuman powers, but how they use it may make it seem like they have more than one power (this would probably depend on how creative I can get hahaha). Maki has two though.

**equastar: **Yeaps! I've always wondered what would happen if Maki's parents actually don't really care much for her, just about the hospital and all. BUT IS THAT REALLY WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE OOOOOOH jk I haven't thought that far ahead yet.

**Unknown1314:** First off, thanks for your PM! It really made me update faster hahaha :P Kotori has quite a big role in this fic so don't worry! Her powers aren't revealed yet, though =v= Thanks so much for your kind words!

**Rikka-senpai: **Heh thanks! Yeah, I tried to keep the powers interesting yet easy to explain (cos as you can probably tell, I'm not that great with words lel) Hope you understood them heh (especially Umi's since hers is a bit more iffy-ish? And Maki's too D:) And more NicoMaki stuff for you here =v=

**Whyevenbother: **Omg ikr there are too few NozoEli fics T_T TUMBLR HAS MORE REALLY. Hahaha Nozomi has such a good eye because of her ~spiritual powers~. Such an awesome gaydar too =v=

** : **That's actually a pretty great idea! I may consider it ^^ Like Rin somehow sharing her power with Maki or something hmm... Thanks for the idea!

**Random Anon: **"And I love you, random stranger!" (Did you get the reference hahaha). Anyways thanks for the kind words! Yay I'm so glad you're excited heh ^^ YAS NOZOELI IS LYFE

**Kajeno Otamegane: **Thanks for your kind words! Glad you enjoyed it heh ^^ I'm so relieved that you commented on it being cool cos that probably means I did something right with the 'action' scenes heh :D

**Guest: **Koutarou will be fine heh. Poor kid can't die so tragically :'( Nozomi can't resist Eli after all, just like how Eli just had to notice everything about Nozomi heh =w=

**ihavenoidea: **I wonder what the others' powers are too... heh : I Googled it! (Didn't watch the video even though I love Pewdiepie) I may consider using that in some part of the story. Thanks for the suggestion! (Also, Rin's power is actually kinda similar to it O: Even though I planned it out before I saw the neon powers hahaha)

**hikarigranger: **Yay I'm glad you think the powers fit ^^ Hahaha parents seem to be a trend in their problems, isn't it :P Hint hint? Thanks for supporting me for so long and all, I really appreciate it! -sends love through this post-

**Whoa that was long, so sorry for this huge dump of words . Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed, favourited, followed and read this story! (Yes even you who just scrolled past this whole chunk. Honestly I would too hahahaha)**

**Till next time! (I'll try my best to not make it another 3 weeks)**


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